Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project Management - Essay Example 10 References 12 1. Introduction The success of projects is depended on a series of criteria, all of which need to be met so that a project is completed on time and according to the standards set. In practice, the achievement of the above target is very difficult. Failures in projects are common phenomenon. Despite the efforts made by managers for the limitation of project failures, the problem is still extensive in regard to projects in all sectors. The causes of project failure are reviewed in this paper. Reference is made to two, major, IT projects: the NHS Computer System and the Ford Online Procurement System. Both these projects were well structured, so that risks are minimized. However, they were finally led to a failure, resulting to severe losses for the parties involved. Appropriate literature is also reviewed for identifying the causes of project failure. It seems that project failure is unavoidable when a project is not closely monitored and adequately supported. Also, un der certain terms, project managers hold the responsibility for the failure of the project assigned to them. Under these terms, it can be noted that project failure is related to many, different, factors all of which need to be addressed in order for the success of a project to be secured. 2. Project failure – characteristics and reasons Different approaches have been used in the literature for explaining the project failure, as a daily problem in all scientific and industrial sectors. O’Carroll (2003) notes that many project managers tend to focus on planning for eliminating the case of a failure. The above strategy has been proved ineffective. It is explained that ‘two much planning can be a reason for project failure’ (O’Carroll 2003, p.175). Even the requirement for following strictly the deadlines of a project can be a reason for project failure (O’Carroll 2003, p.175). O’Carroll claims that when focusing heavily on the planning p hase of the project, project managers do not deal with the failure of the project; instead, a plan should be developed in advance for setting the terms on which the management of the project’s failure will be based. From a different point of view, Wysocki (2011) states that the project failure can result because of unexpected changes on a project. The characteristics of these changes are not clearly presented. It is assumed that any alteration of the project’s initial terms, as included in its plan, is considered as a change of a project. The level at which change can threaten a project is difficult to be estimated in advance. It is assumed that the threat can be higher as the alteration from the project’s initial terms is increased. Holmes (2001) claimed that the causes of project failure can be many. For example, a project is expected to fail for one of the above reasons: when it is not adequately supported by the firm’s top management team, when its pl an is not detailed, when the targets set are not feasible, when no provision exists for managing the risks involved and so on (Holmes 2001, p.16). In this way, preventing project failure can be challenging task, especially if the resources required are not available or if the time limits for the completion of the project are too tight, not allowing the identification of alternative practices for facing problems appearing during the development of the project. The ‘Japan Users’ Association of Information Systems (JUAS)’

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Research Critique - Dapagliflozin Trials Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critique - Dapagliflozin Trials - Research Paper Example This paper reviews various aspects of a medical trial study carried out in Japan. The critique evaluates issues of human protection, data collection, analyses and management as well as the final findings. The study by Boulton et al. (2011) highlights the comparative use of dapagliflozin on two treatment groups consisting of diabetics with type II diabetes (T2DM) and healthy subjects. The research paper was published in the fourth issue of the Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Journal in 2011. The main objective of the research was to investigate the tolerability and safety of dapagliflozin in the Japanese participants. Evaluated aspects included the pharmacodynamics (PD) and pharmacokinetics (PK) of the drug on both treatment groups. Protection of Human Participants The implicitly implied benefits of this research included the ability to determine the tolerability and safety of the drug for Japanese subjects, and thus offer a reliable, non-insulin dependent therapeutic option for T2DM management. This would be beneficial because it would save patients with T2DM from regular insulin injections and costs if it would be established as an efficient mono-therapy option or improving add-on to other diabetic therapies. The authors of the research recognized drug allergy as a potential risk and possible aggravation of cardiovascular and diabetic ketoacidocis. As such, precautionary measures were taken to exclude subjects with such conditions or a history of such conditions. In addition to the highlighted benefits, the researchers failed to note that dapagliflozin’s effectiveness does not depend on the dysfunction severity of beta cells. Unlike most other therapies, its effectiveness will not decrease with beta cell failure advancement or with higher severity of insulin resistance. This would be a major benefit in the T2DM therapy. Additionally, they also failed to identify other risks such as possible aggravation of polyuria, which may results from the diuretic e ffect of dapagliflozin. The research was conducted after acquisition of informed consent from subjects as stated within the material and methods section, and as such it is expected that all participants consented to participation after full information. The research process and procedures adhered to GCP (â€Å"Good Clinical Practice†), and â€Å"Japanese Pharmaceutical Affairs Law† both of which define standards of clinical pharmaceutical trials (Boulton et al. 2011). The adherence to these standards as asserted within the paper implies that indeed the participants must have voluntarily accepted participation in the study. This is because voluntary participation is one of the stipulations under these standards, and adherence confirms willing participation. As part of ensuring adherence the researchers also sought approval from the local ethics committee/ IRB (â€Å"Institutional Review Board†). From these facts it can be inferred that ethical, procedural adheren ce was upheld as required in any drug trial cases. Data Collection Data collection in the study was done through the bio-analytical